DIY & Crafts

I'm Slightly Obsessed With Paint-by-Numbers

DIY & Crafts

I'm Slightly Obsessed With Paint-by-Numbers

I've never really collected anything — that is, until I recently rediscovered
paint-by-numbers. At a family yard sale last summer, I picked up two forest scenes that I remember hanging in my cousins' house when we were kids. It turned out that my aunt had also got them from a yard sale (so who knows how old they are), but with a bit of dusting and fancy new frames, they oddly fit into my dining room decor. And then, on a jaunt through a local antiques market, I scored two more, circa 1950s.
You can still
buy paint-by-numbers kits, or you can create your own as a gift for a crafty kid or nostalgic adult. You'll need a very simple image (illustrations or colouring book pictures work well), a canvas or heavy card stock, various paints, and a couple of small paint brushes. Number the paints and, using a pencil, clearly label each and every space in the image (and ensure that they correspond to the right colours). If there's a small space that you can't fit a number into, write it in nearby and use and arrow – since the whole canvas will be painted, all of the pencil will be covered up.
Here's some more paint-by-number inspiration. Not sure how my husband would feel about it, but I'm thinking a complete
stairwell,wall (or
house!) of vintage paint-by-numbers would look amazing.

5 ways you're getting extra sugar without knowing it

Nutrition

5 ways you're getting extra sugar without knowing it

You might have heard the recent cautions from health experts that we’re eating too much sugar but brushed them off because you don’t have a sweet tooth. The truth is, even those who don’t eat sweets are getting way more than the recommended six teaspoons (25 grams) of sugar. That’s because sugar is hidden in nearly every processed food we eat. Chances are, if it comes in a package, it’s loaded with sugar. Here are five ways you could be getting sugar without knowing it.

1. Savoury saucesSince pasta sauce and barbecue sauce are savoury, they don’t contain sugar, right? Wrong. These sauces are actually some of the worst offenders when it comes to our sugar consumption. A half-cup of pasta sauce has about 12 grams of sugar, while the same amount of ketchup has about 27 grams, and barbecue sauce can have a whopping 44 grams. Even salad dressing can have up to nine grams of sugar per serving.

2. YogurtYogurt has long been heralded as a healthy snack, but it might not be as wholesome as you think. While yogurt has some naturally occurring sugar, it’s also a huge culprit for added sugars, especially if it’s flavoured or has fruit mixed in. A tiny 170-gram single serving cup can contain your full day’s sugar intake, so if you love yogurt, opt for plain varieties and mix in your own fruit for flavouring.3. Real fruit juices or leatherYou know that sodas and sweetened juices aren’t good for you, but you might think you’re being nutritious by buying the stuff made of 100 percent real fruit. Unfortunately, once fruit has been stripped of its fibre and turned into something else (like juice or fruit leather), your body no longer sees it as natural fruit. That’s why the World Health Organization’s recommendations say that the 24 grams of sugar found in the standard cup of apple juice count towards your 25-gram daily limit of added sugars.

4. Bread, pizza and crackersAlmost all bread you buy will have some sugar in it, because sugar activates the yeast to make the bread rise, but when you read the package of bread—or frozen pizza or any other bread product—you might be shocked to learn just how much sugar is hiding inside. A single bun might have four or five grams of sugar, and it’s easy to get the same amount in a serving of crackers—though chances are you’ll eat more than one serving.

5. Cereal and granola barsYou might think that if you’re not eating candy-coloured sugary cereals you’re in the clear, but unfortunately you need to look a little harder at the label to tell which cereals are chock-full of sugar. For example, did you know that a bowl of muesli can contain a day’s worth of sugar, and twice the amount as a bowl of Fruit Loops? And cereal bars or granola bars aren’t much better, with even the healthier versions coming in at half your day’s sugar. Try to make your own granola bars or muesli so you know how much sugar goes into them.

Quick & Easy

Easy pasta salad recipes

Planning a picnic or family barbecue anytime soon? Give yourself one less thing to worry about and go for one of our easy pasta salad recipes. It's sure to be a hit!

Pasta salads are great to make ahead, and are absolute tops for large groups. They also take the cake for being an extremely versatile dish – with a host of added ingredients, toppings and dressings, simple pasta salads can go from humble side to star entrée in no time.

We asked Test Kitchen food specialist Amanda Barnier to share some top tips for preparing pasta salads, and why they're a crowd favourite. Here's what she had to share:

Pasta salads: the perfect make-ahead dish
"Pasta salads can easily be prepped in advance and can feed a crowd with little effort," Amanda says. "It can be made in advance and cooled immediately after cooking."

One important tip to remember, she adds, is to "add dressing the day it's being served, because it will quickly absorb the dressing."

Pasta salad favourites
"I like using cheese filled tortellini for a hearty salad. Soba and rice noodles are great with Asian dressings, whole grain and coloured pastas," Amanda says.

How to store pasta salads
"Keep salads well wrapped and refrigerated," she says. "Salad has the same storage life as its ingredients. Seafood is best eaten within 2 days, and chicken (within) 2 to 3 days. If traveling, be sure to store pasta salads in coolers packed with lots of ice."

"Proteins should not be within 4 C and 60 C for longer than a four hour period," she adds.

The long and short of it: best pasta shapes
"Short shapes are best with vinaigrettes and creamy dressings, and chunky ingredients such as chopped vegetables and beans," Amanda says.

Tips for making pasta salad
"If making a pasta salad in advance, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and drain well," she advises. "Add dressing just prior to serving. Pasta quickly absorbs liquids; if the dressing is added too soon, the pasta will absorb it."

So whether you prefer chunky pasta salads with a cool, creamy dressing perfect for summer picnics, or entrée-worthy pasta salads with long rice noodles and a tangy vinaigrette, you're sure to find a new favourite with from our collection.

Mediterranean Orzo Salad
This salad highlights many fresh flavours of the Mediterranean and is at its best when made with good-quality olive oil.

Photography by Jeff Coulson

The Best Macaroni Salad
This is a great keeper salad and perfect for a picnic or BBQ. Just make sure you pack it with plenty of ice packs to keep it nice and cold, both during transportation and at the table.

Photography by Annabelle Waugh

Chicken, Broccoli and Bocconcini Pasta Salad
Make this pasta salad for the whole family—the kids will love the mild dressing and round bocconcini cheese, while the adults will appreciate it as a light alternative to a sandwich.

Warm Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Salad
The dressing lends a taste of summer any time of year. The red peppers provide vitamins A and C and potassium. Quick and easy to make, this salad is perfect to take to a last-minute potluck or picnic.

Baking & Desserts

Our best muffin recipes

Whip up a dozen moist muffins on a leisurely Sunday morning. Or better yet, set out the muffin recipe ingredients the night before and let the first person up bake a batch for everyone. Most of these muffin recipes can be made in advance and frozen.